The present invention is directed generally to food products and to their methods of preparation. In particular, the present invention is directed to improve aerated confectionery products such as dried but soft marshmallows for addition to ready-to-eat cereals and the processes for making such improved aerated confectionery products.
Aerated confections are popular food items. Some aerated confections comprise a fat constituent while others are substantially free of such fat constituents. An illustrative fat free aerated confection is the common marshmallow. Such marshmallow products are familiar in both larger and smaller sizes.
It is well known that such marshmallows when fresh are soft and pliable but will stale by losing moisture and become hard. Indeed, purposefully pre-dried aerated confections are also well known. These products, particularly in smaller or bit sizes, are commonly added to certain popular Ready-To-Eat (“R-T-E”) breakfast cereals, particularly those marketed to children, e.g., Lucky Charms® brand R-T-E cereal. Due to their small size (i.e., having a number count of 4 to 6/g), these dried aerated confectionery marshmallow products are sometimes colloquially referred to as “Mar.” bits or “marbits”. The marbits must be pre-dried to the low water activities (0.1-0.4) of the R-T-E cereals prior to admixture in order to reduce unwanted moisture migration from the marbit to the cereal and thus to forestall the multiple problems resulting therefrom. Such products have been immensely popular for over 40 years.
Generally, small conventional marshmallow pieces are simply dried to produce light and frangible dried confection pieces (see for example, for dried marshmallows, the method can additionally include one or more drying steps. (See, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,551 issued 2 Nov. 1988 to W. J. Meyer entitled “Method of Drying Confection Pieces” which is incorporated herein by reference).
However, particular attention can be made to formulation and processing of such dried aerated confection pieces to modify one or more properties. For example, the marshmallow can be formulated to be quick dissolving (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,401 “Stable Foam Composition” issued Jul. 18, 2000 to Gowan, Jr., et al.). Dried marshmallows comprising a slowly dissolving portion and a more quickly dissolving portion have recently been developed. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,216 “Quickly dissolving Aerated Confection and Method of Preparation” issued Mar. 27, 2001 to Zietlow et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,455 “Multi-Colored Aerated Confectionery Products” issued Aug. 20, 2002 to Zietlow et al.). Such products appeal to children by having a portion more quickly dissolve in cold milk to reveal thereby a shape in relief.
Conversely, the dried marshmallows can be processed to remain to resist dissolution and remain crisp in milk. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,432 “Dried Marshmallow Method of Preparation for Increasing Bowl Life” issued May 14, 2002 to Zietlow et al.).
Consumer food products require constant innovation to maintain popularity. Innovation and change are even more important for those consumer food products oriented towards children. While crisp or frangible dried marshmallow confections suitable for addition to R-T-E cereals are popular, it would be desirable to be able to provide dried marshmallow confections of different appearances and/or textures that provide novelty texture appeal such as being not only dried but also soft in texture.
In view of the present state of the art, there is a need for dried but soft aerated confections as well as methods for their manufacture.
The present invention provides improvements in dried aerated confections to dried yet soft products and to methods for preparing aerated confections that involve preparing aerated confections having a glass transition temperature below room temperature and preferably below that of cold milk (i.e., at or below 40° F.; or 5° C.) whereby the confection remains soft and pliable even though dried to low water activity values.
The present invention resides in part in the inclusion of humectant and plasticizing ingredients to provide the desired lowering of the glass transition temperature and binding of additional water in dried aerated confection products. These ingredients function as “softening agents” of the confection texture and will be referred to as such.